Pregnancy

Everyone knows that an expecting mother’s body goes through a lot of changes during those nine months. Pregnancy massage can help decrease the discomfort that the mother is experiencing during this time. The hormones that the mother releases may also reach the baby, so it is important to make the mother comfortable and stress free!

Quite frequently, the mother has many new complaints about her body due to these changes. 1. Her lower legs can swell; not returning the fluid to the heart like it should be 2. The added weight of the baby increases the forces on the joints 3. The placement of the added weight increases the stress on the low back 4. The posture of a woman changes affecting many muscles negatively

Many of the conditions that the mother is experiencing can be addressed through massage therapy. The swelling in the lower legs can be treated through lymphatic massage to promote increased fluid movement. The joints in the spine and legs may be irritated due to the increased forces placed on them. The added weight in the front stretches the low back musculature often resulting in dysfunction and low back pain. The postural changes as weight is added in the front results in many different dysfunctions.

What to expect: Pregnancy massage is often performed side-lying with a pillow to support the baby. This is because often mothers are not as comfortable on their back or stomach. It can resemble other types of massage, but the doctor would focus on the complaints specific to a pregnant mother. Taping may also be performed at the end of the massage. This is to help the mother support the baby while standing upright. When taping the stomach or back a certain way, it helps decrease the gravity forces on the stomach so the mother feels it easier to walk with less pressure on certain organs (bladder).